The Minister for Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Edem Duke has promised that the much awaited establishment of the National Endowment Fund for Art in Nigeria will soon see the light of the day.
The Minister made the remarks when he paid a visit to the private gallery of art owned by Solomon Ogbonna Nwainyinya at Ojamakinwa Street, Ajah, Lagos. Duke who was accompanied by the Director General of National Gallery of Art (NGA), Mr. Abdulahi Muku, said the visit was to see for himself the rich array of works in the collection of Chief Nwainyinya, having been intimated about the fact that there are works of such magnitude in the hands of a private collector.
After embarking on a tour of the gallery, an obviously impressed Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, while addressing the journalists commended Nwainyinya for being able to maintain such enormous works and in such great numbers, adding that the works are treasures and cannot be hidden from global view.
"The world must see these collections. I want to commend you; there are not too many Nigerians like you, who would not only cherish but also keep custody of these treasures, because these are treasures that tell the history of hundred years plus. I want to say that Nigeria owes you a huge amount of debt because what you have here challenges even what are held in National Museum of Nigeria,"
Duke said. He disclosed that the Ministry is about to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ford Foundation for the renewal and expansion of the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, adding that Nigeria is about to launch the history and heritage aspect of the centenary celebration. "As I speak to you I am expecting in a few weeks a visitation by one of the foremost museums in the world. As I speak to you, Nigeria is about to launch the history and heritage aspect of the centenary celebration.
"And I make bold to say that if we have a working relationship with you, perhaps the first public exhibition of a Nigerian arts and artifacts will be from this private collection. And what we will do is to work with you and experts in the maintenance and restoration and mount public exhibition of your works." The exhibition which will be last for a minimum of three to six months will be opened by Mr. President.
He assured Nwainyinya that the Ministry will work with him to not only preserve but also exhibit the works. "This is just my first visit. I will come back here and work with you piece by piece to see, because I know that you have an inventory of the works that are here and you have the literature of the works that are here; there is need to help you with expert support and some resources in order for these works to be appropriately handled. They are very delicate works, but it is important for us to showcase these works, to showcase you, so that other Nigerians will understand that regardless of the challenges and the vicissitudes of life, there are Nigerians who believe in their heritage and will maintain the treasures that are handed over to them by their forefathers.
"This is a Nigerian who truly understands the essence of being a Nigerian and the importance of maintaining his roots and the cultural heritage of this country. I am very proud of you; Nigeria must find the opportunity of honouring you appropriately. We will work with you; we will find some resources to help in restoring many of these works and also in managing to keep them in good condition.".
On the National Endowment Fund for the Art, the Minister said, "We are also in a short while going to establish the National Endowment Fund for the Art. We believe that when that is done, people like this would be given a prominent attention and support".
Nwainyinya who is involved in advocacy aimed at protecting and preserving the art, culture and tradition of his people especially those being eroded as a result of Western influence inherited the art works from his father. He was born over four decades ago where his interest in the preservation of the arts and culture of his people began .
He is one of the sons of late Chief Aguene Nwainyinya Okorie of Umuchita-Umudoni village in Onicha Igboeze, Onicha L.G.A, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. His grandfather, Chief Okorie Oti (1832-1924), was one of the foremost art collectors and he became an inspiration to his father Chief Aguene Okorie (1901-2004) who passed the baton to him.
According to him, the traditional art collection of his father, late Chief Okorie is being preserved in Lagos and Ebonyi. However, preserving these rare works is no doubt a huge task, given the aging conditions of some of the works, especially the ones in wood. "Our challenge is essentially documentation and restoration of the works," Nwainyinya informed.
The works which are largely of wood and bronze carvings, especially by unidentified artists, showed a high level of creativity among the undocumented artists of the 1920s through 60s when his father collected some of the works. And in his effort to salvage the art works, he is set to catalogue them in a hardcover with scholarly inputs to preserve the collection. He disclosed that the book titled "The White Man's Interest in African Arts: Unknown Facts" will be launched soon. He also plans to establish a private museum where the works will be kept
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